The Square Foot

Walmart Canada to Open First Supercentre in Manitoba

Walmart Canada announced that it will open its first Walmart Supercentre in Manitoba on Friday, May 13. The store, located at 1225 St. Mary's Road in St. Vital Mall in Winnipeg, is Walmart's first foray into the fresh grocery business in the province and is the company's 131st Supercentre.

Walmart first introduced the format to Canada in late 2006 in Ontario. Supercentres are a favourite format designed to address the growing consumer preference for one-stop shopping, by adding all varieties of food - including fresh produce, meat, baked goods and prepared meals - to Walmart's already broad product offering. With Friday's opening, the company now operates Supercentres in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. This summer, Walmart will open its first Supercentres in Quebec.

"Customers continue to respond strongly to our Supercentres," said Jim Thompson, Walmart Canada's chief operating officer. "Our new Supercentres represent the next generation of store design and customer experience while continuing to offer convenience and every day low prices."

In 1994, Walmart transformed nine Manitoba Woolco stores. Since then, the company has invested millions of dollars and hired thousands of people to grow and improve service to Manitobans. Today, there are 13 Manitoba Walmart stores employing nearly 4,000 associates.

In the next few months, four more Manitoba stores will grand-open as Supercentres. These stores are located in Portage la Prairie, Selkirk and two in Winnipeg. In all cases, the stores have been remodeled.

Walmart Canada operates a growing chain of 325 stores, serving more than one million Canadians each day. With 85,000 associates, the company is Canada's third-largest employer. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Walmart Canada's corporate culture was recently ranked among the 10 most admired corporate cultures in Canada by Waterstone Human Capital Inc. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting www.walmart.ca